My Strength
by arosewithsteelthorns
Summary: Regina is strong. One of the strongest. But even the strong ones need someone else to be their strength, once in a while. Rated T for violence. T.W. for physical torture. Based off of the promo. 4 parts.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - This is inspired by the new promo. I am absolutely horrified by the lengths they are going to to make Regina suffering. Physical torture as severe as this makes me feel so sick inside :( How are you supposed to change when you get manipulated into murdering your own mother, lose your son to your enemies and now electrocution and her magic being purged... :/ I am not sure if I will like the canon version of events so this is my version. I hope you enjoy. Please review :)

**Warning - This story contains violence and torture by electrocution. Please don't read if you feel uncomfortable. **

* * *

"LET MY SON GO!"

Regina flexes her fingers and the door bursts inwards in a shower of faint purple sparks, her stance every inch the Evil Queen. She will not allow this. Her son may have disowned her in favour of Miss Swan, but she will never abandon him. Emma is not here now and so it falls to her to protect Henry. A responsibility she is more than willing to take on.

"One step closer, Miss Mills," threatens the woman, holding Henry to her chest, her terrifyingly lethal shock gun, or whatever the hell it is, pressed against his throat, ready to active at the flick of a switch.

"And who might you be?" asks Regina, her voice still managing to sound superior.

"Who I am does not concern you, Miss Mills. It is your son who does," responds Tamara.

Regina breathes deeply. The way this wretched woman says her name, all arrogance and cockiness, fills her with the urge to lash out and send her hurtling into a wall. She steals a glance at her son, her precious child. A sense of pride washes over her, for he does not seem afraid, despite the weapon that could very well end his life. So very much like her in that way...

"Henry is a child. But more importantly he is _my_ child. And I swear to you, that if you harm one more hair on his head, then I will make you wish for death a thousand times over before I even consider granting it."

"Threats in your position, Miss Mills? Not exceptionally wise."

"Let him go and I'll let you escape with your worthless life. I'd call my offer _very _generous."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, _Miss Mills_, but I seem to hold the power here. What can you do to me before I harm your boy?"

"We both know that you know exactly who I am, Tamara. The Evil Queen. Regina. You would do well to remember that."

Henry watches the exchange in silence, concentrating on his breathing. The threats from both women scare him for different reasons. His mother is scary enough when she is ruthless but something about Tamara makes him shiver. She is not unintelligent and she knows her opponent's fearsome reputation well. This woman would not be so careless as to subject herself to her wrath if she did not have a better plan than this. Plus, why would she want him?

"Ah, Regina. It is so nice to see you again."

Mother and son turn their heads to the direction of the voice and see a man standing in the shadows, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Owen," Regina speaks, lips tight, eyes alight with murderous rage "I should have known."

"You were foolish to come here," he says, offhandedly, his demeanour telling everyone that it was predicted "Your magic may be powerful but it does not rival modern _defences_."

"I came to retrieve my son," responds Regina, voice as sharp as a dagger.

"Ah, I never knew you were capable of emotion, Your Majesty," he mocks her "After all, you ripped my father from my life and sent me across the line ALONE. The world thought I was crazy."

"I was going to keep you and your father safe and well. We were going to be a family. Everything you'd ever want. You rejected me. You stepped across the line. You made that decision," continues Regina, as if her past choices disgusted her "I even shed tears for you… A little boy, alone in the world, at my hand... I wanted to bring you back but it wasn't possible."

"How touching," Tamara interrupts, impatient.

They are reminded of the current situation.

"What do you want?" Regina repeats.

"I want magic, Miss Mills," the long-awaited answer finally comes.

Silence. The slight ticking of a clock. A reminder that it will soon be over. That it will soon be too late.

"Then take me!"

Silence. A gasp of shock escapes Henry. His captors share an amused glance.

"Owen, my son is innocent. Would you see a child suffer? Like you did?" she sees what drives him and she plays on it as she does weaknesses.

"You destroyed my innocence," he spits back at her.

"Precisely, I did it. Me. Not Henry. Take me and punish me for it. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"I want you to feel my pain, Regina. Emotional pain."

A bitter laugh from her for she has already suffered such.

This isn't a joke, Henry knows. She means to sacrifice herself for him. All the times he shunned her and said she was incapable of love almost cause him to stumble. Guilt. He has never felt guilt before, not this strongly.

"Let my son go and do what you will to me. Take my magic. Whatever you want. Have your revenge," Regina speaks with clear conviction, no hint of fear for what they will do to her.

There is nothing left for her now. Without Henry, there is no purpose to this life. Without love, she will never be happy. If he dies, she will too.

Silence. Owen and Tamara exchange contemplating glances.

"I am the Evil Queen, taught magic by the Dark One himself. My magic exceeds anything Henry could ever offer you."

Silence. Tamara walks forward so slowly it's almost as if the whole nightmare was happening in slow motion. With a shove she releases Henry into her partner's arms and grabs the queen by the wrist, weapon held to her neck instead.

Henry screams at her, tears trickling down his cheeks. He begs her to get out of here, that there's still time to use her magic. He tells her they'll hurt her. He tells her he doesn't want her to die. He tells her he's sorry. He tells her he loves her.

Regina feels a sharp pain in her neck. Her body convulses almost immediately from the painful electrical charge. She falls from her attacker's arms and hits the floor, hard. Her vision dances with black spots.

She tells him she forgives him. She tells him that she will always love him. She tells him to run.

And her eyes close as she succumbs to the darkness and to her fate.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - Thank you all so much for the response to the last chapter 3 It is greatly appreciated. Please keep the reviews coming :)

**Warning - This chapter is very dark and contains fairly graphic torture scenes. Please don't read if it is at all triggering. **

* * *

Regina opened her eyes, a dull ache in her temples, as if something was pressing against them. Her attempt to sit up was prohibited by tight straps that pinned her down to the hospital bed which was strangely missing a mattress. She struggled hard against them, unsurprised when they failed to yield. Restraints made her vulnerable. She'd sworn never to be vulnerable again.

Magic.

The debate of whether or not to use her crutch after discovering what her captors wanted lasted all of two seconds before she concentrated on the leather bindings, willing them to snap. A blinding pain coursed through her body at her attempt and she bit back a yell. Shit. She knew in her mind that it was pointless but once again she summoned her magic to come to her aid. More pain.

"Don't waste your energy, Miss Mills," said Tamara, appearing through a doorway, a victorious smile on her face "You'll need it later."

"Where's Henry?" demanded Regina.

"Safe. I have no need of the boy," the wretched woman shrugged, uncaring of anything but her little experiment "I'm glad to be rid of him. He wouldn't shut up. Crying. Screaming. Owen has a nasty scratch from his vicious efforts to get back to you…"

"If that bastard harmed him!" Regina all but screamed.

"Relax, Miss Mills. The boy is back with that girl…" Tamara did not sound at all reassuring as she waved her hands to indicate Ruby.

"Good. That's good."

"This machine here absorbs any magic. Ultimately, this is how I will rid you of it and collect it…"

Now that her son was safe, Regina had nothing to hold her back. She put all of her energy into the most complicated spell she can think of and felt the familiar build-up of warmth and tingling in her chest. Just when she thinks it might work, an electrical current so powerful that it jerks her body violently thunders through her. She lets out a bitten-back cry of agony, the remains of a scream hastily cut off.

"As I said, Miss Mills, it's pointless."

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You are nothing but Baelfire's whore!"

In all honesty, Regina is ashamed of her insult. But after being rocked by god knows how high a voltage from two complete and utter nutcases, she's surprised she came up with anything at all. She feels her body calm down once more but it won't last and she knows it.

"That man means nothing to me. He is good for one thing and one thing only – information," said Tamara, coolly "It would be in your best interests to withhold further insults."

"In my best interest?" replied Regina, tartly "It would be in your best interests to start running. Because as soon as I'm free, and I _will _get freed, then I will keep my promise to you and kill you, slow and painful."

The fallen queen writhes against the bindings as another shock slams into her, starting at her head and travelling through her to her toes. It's painful. But not terribly. Not yet. It would take a lot more to make Regina Mills scream. She did not gain her title through tears. Her lip bleeds from where she sunk her teeth in.

"Where's my father?" the vengeful man makes his reappearance.

"I see my son was more than a match for you, Owen. An eleven year old boy…" she taunts him for it is all she can say to his question.

"He's cursed to have you as a mother," he spits back.

"Says the man who is working with a murderess bitch to torture magic out of people," she retorts "I may not be the most innocent soul in the world, but I am sure I'm not the first person to be subject to this."

The insult stings worse than the electricity though she hides it under the cold layers. _I love you_. Her son loves her. After everything she'd done. She focuses on that instead.

"Where's my father," Owen repeats, determined.

Silence. Regina will not be cowed by him. Or her. She is a queen. She is stronger than them.  
For the first time, she notices the dial. He walks to it and turns it almost three quarters of the way. She hears a very audible crack as she jerks her body violently as she tries to escape the throbbing pain that now radiates in waves. A broken bone. Or a fracture. This pain doesn't even register. A scream forces its way from her throat. A tear trickles down her cheek. It doesn't stop. Her magic goes into survival mode. She unleashes a spell. It backfires. The pain increases tenfold. Another scream. It will never stop. She begins to panic.

"Enough!" commands Tamara.

The torture pauses. Regina breathes deeply, trying to control her racing heart. She knows she has to or the consequences will be fatal. For a moment, she closes her eyes and wishes she could take her mind somewhere else. Then she opens them. Blindness is a weakness to her, even if she is powerless to stop it.

"Are you trying to kill her?" rages Tamara.

Silence. Owen has no respect for the other woman. But he knows she can kill him with a flick of her electro-shock gun.

"Where's my father, Regina? What did you do to him?"

"Torturing me won't bring him back."

"WHERE IS HE?"

His hand hovers over the dial, prepared to turn it up to full and never turn it off. He's prepared to kill her. She knows this, she sees it. But she won't back down.

"There is no coming back from the grave."

"I'm going to kill you! You took my father from me! The world is better off without you in it!"

Silence. Again. Regina is done talking. She knew she was going to die the moment she signed her life in exchange for Henry's. The finality of death does not scare her. She's faced it head on countless times. The pain unnerves her and does scare her. But it's not that. It's what she'll leave behind that scares her. A town where these monsters can harm her son. Emma crosses her mind. She has no idea why.

"For gods' sake, Owen. You're living out your revenge. Now let's get on with this," orders Tamara.

"Yes, do what you're told," quips Regina.

If she's going down, she'll go down fighting.

She'd always been of the opinion that to die for someone was a weak way to go. That's what she'd told Maleficent. But perhaps her sacrifice would give her an upgrade to purgatory. At least Henry was safe.

_Take care of him Emma_, she thinks, while she can form coherent thoughts. _Take him out of Storybrooke_.

The dial turns to its maximum. She lets out a guttural animalistic scream of pain and anguish. Her magic tried to fight back and as the witch Tamara had so carefully planned out, the severity of the pain got steadily worse and worse. Spasms racked her body as she screamed like nothing she'd ever heard before. It rung in her own ears. This was hell. She prayed for death and some relief. Screaming. Screaming. Screaming.

"Please," she croaked out, her throat as raw as sandpaper.

_Weak. Weak. Weak._ She still manages to mentally berate herself even though she's in hysteria now.

Owen stands, arms folded, a pleased smirk on his face as he watches her suffer and even beg. The Evil Queen begging was his deepest desire.

Tamara stands by her machine, a pleased smirk on her face. She cares not for the woman's pain. There are less torturous ways of taking magic, if the person deserved it. But Regina Mills deserved to suffer more than anyone else. No pleasure came from the screams and cries. It only came from the magic that she was able to collect.

Regina, face wet with tears, continues to scream_. Look after him, Emma_, she pleads. Her mind leaves her and she descends into an oblivion of pure pain and torment.

Screaming. Still screaming.

* * *

Henry collapses in Ruby's arms as Owen drops him. The woman is shocked as the crying boy is dumped unceremoniously on her. She could chase him. But the child is more important.

"Henry. Oh my god. What happened?" she fawns over him, like a concerned auntie.

"They have my mom," he cries, desperate.

"Emma? She's looking for you…"

"Not Emma. Regina! My mom!"

Ruby is stunned as he drags her back into the centre of town. If the two strangers can kidnap the most powerful sorceress, then what chance do they all have? A slight pang of worry for Regina blossoms. But mostly for the boy she's become so close to.

"What happened, Henry? What did they do to you?" asks Ruby as they run.

"Tamara kidnapped me. My mom came and sacrificed herself for me. They're going to hurt her! We have to help her! She can't die!" he garbled in reply.

Not what she'd expected. Regina Mills was not the sacrificing type. Perhaps she had changed since the curse had come and been broken. Perhaps love had helped to heal her.

"It's ok, kid. We'll get her," she tried to reassure him.

"But what if we don't?" he panics.

"We will. If there's one thing I know about Regina, it's her strength. She won't just give up and die."

"They want her magic, Ruby. And he wants revenge. They're going to hurt her!"

"Hey, we won't let that happen. It's going to be alright."

* * *

A/N - There will be one final part uploaded (hopefully tomorrow, school dependent) and things will start looking up for Regina.

P.S - I hope Henry and Ruby's characters weren't too off. I'm not the best at writing them...


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Wow! I am truly touched by all your wonderful reviews and of course the alerts 3 I never expected so many people to read this fic, let alone enjoy it so much! I am really grateful for the feedback though.

I do hope that this chapter isn't a let down. And maybe the ending will be a surprise... Let me know if it is :) I thought of it during Maths class today (instead of doing angles because they are boring :P)

Much love, Rachel xxx

* * *

Emma slammed on the brakes, her head almost smashing through the windscreen at the sheer force of it. She flew from the car and into the hospital; down the stairs, down and down, until the basement, as were Henry's instructions. A myriad of emotions hit her; anger, panic, fear, regret. _God, how low was this secret room_. Regina was her sworn enemy but when her son had come running in, crying that they were going to kill her, she'd felt only rage for the bastards responsible. _Hang in there, Regina, please_. Her life had come to revolve around three things; Henry, her newfound discovery of her past life and Regina Mills. She couldn't die.

"Miss Swan?" Tamara appeared from a door, hiding her confusion at the intruder.

"Where is she?" roared Emma.

"Miss Swan… Please calm down. Where is who?"

"Regina."

The blonde was on her in a second, punching her square in the jaw and then slamming her to the ground with as much force as she could muster (which was a lot considering her anger levels), leaving her startled and half-conscious. Emma left her and entered the room she'd come out of, apprehensive as to what she might find within.

Emma gasped in horror when she saw her, stumbling backwards and having to support herself with the door. The brunette was lying on a metal bed, an array of wires connecting her to a menacing machine, two probes attached to her head. She was as still as a statue, no sign of life. A startling stream of blood trickled from her nose, her skin otherwise as white as chalk.

"Oh god," said Emma.

_Was she dead? No, no, she couldn't be. Regina could not be dead. _

Terrified, the woman advanced towards the deathly still queen, waiting with baited breath as she pressed two fingers against her cold skin and prayed for a response. She let out a relieved breath when she felt a faint pulse.

Muttered curses came from the hallway. There wasn't much time.

"I'm sorry, Regina," Emma said, quietly.

Regretfully, she brought her hand hard against the brunette's cheek, the contact creating a sharp crack in the silence. Even near death, Regina's reflexes had never failed her and her eyes snapped open, the last remains of a fire in them. It softened as she saw Emma, although there was nothing but contempt between them. She whimpered once and then clenched her teeth, exhausted and still terrified.

"It's ok, Regina. It's going to be ok."

"Miss Swan…?"

"How do you feel?" Emma asked the question but feared the answer. She knew what had happened, she wasn't an idiot. But she didn't know how a magical being would handle electrocution.

"Like… death…" Regina responded, voice weak and hoarse.

There was nothing she could say to that. Not that she would have been able to. It seemed that Tamara had regained her composure and had now reappeared with reinforcements – Owen.

Stealing a quick glance to the woman still strapped down, Emma was happily surprised that she did not flinch under his murderous gaze, even after all they did to her. If she'd survived this far, she was not going to die.

* * *

Regina lay on her back, staring up at the blonde curls of her unlikely saviour. Given her current situation, she didn't have much choice in the matter of who came to her rescue. But from all the people in Storybrooke, Emma would have been her first selection.

"Emma Swan, this business does not concern you," said Tamara.

"Like hell it does!" retorted Emma "I'm the Sheriff of this town and I'm not going to let you torture her anymore!"

"She's the one who tortures people! She murdered my father!" growled Owen.

"You're not touching her!" continued Emma.

The queen felt a smile twitching the corners of her lips. She had never been so glad to see Emma's stubbornness. She couldn't survive any more. Her body gave an involuntary shiver at the not so distant memory, the pain lingering like a shadow.

She felt herself slipping away again, too weak to keep her eyelids open. There was no need for her to see what was happening, not so much that she had to force herself to stay awake. Emma was here now. Slowly, she drifted off…

With a scream, she jerked awake, an electrical current travelling through her body once again. It lasted only a second though and she drew in lungfuls of air. She had been terrified. Her, the Evil Queen, terrified.

"Jesus fucking Christ," cursed Emma.

Regina cast her gaze to the other woman. It quickly became sympathetic as she saw her cradling her hand, clearly having received a high voltage shock similar to her own. Due to trying to undo the straps, she saw.

"Is that what you done to her? ANSWER ME!" screamed the saviour, more angry than Regina had ever seen her.

"You can't release Miss Mills. Every time you try, both of you will be electrocuted. The more times you attempt it, the worse it will be," said Tamara, smugly "I suggest you leave before I hook you up to it in her place."

Regina's heart sunk in her chest. She was going to die after all. She thought she'd already died. To prepare once was one thing, but now that hope had blossomed, she would give anything to live. _I love you_. For her son.

* * *

Something snapped in Emma. She advanced toward the two standing by the door, grabbing Owen by the collar and sending him hurtling into metal racks, with much more force than she'd used on Regina when she'd inadvertently fed their son a poisoned apple. He dropped like a fly and the other woman glowered at her.

The next thing Emma Swan knew was a ferocious stinging as the gun was pressed to her skin. She grunted at the harsh pain as she fell down, landing heavily on her back. It hadn't been full voltage and it gave her time to pull her attacker down with her before the mistake could be remedied. Rolling over, she straddled the other woman's chest, keeping her pinned securely. She plucked the taser from her grasp and tossed it away.

"Let her go!" ordered Emma, a feral snarl on her lips.

"No!" responded Tamara "I'm not finished with her yet!"

"What are you doing to her? TELL ME!" Emma was barely restraining herself to strangling the bitch.

"What's the one thing she has that no-one else has. Apart from one other person…" Tamara said, as if torturing someone was a game.

"You want her magic? Why? WHY!" Her patience was really stretched now.

"I don't expect you to understand, Miss Swan."

"My NAME is Emma!"

Both women looked at the same time to Regina, who was staring at their fight, curiously. Her life and sanity depended on Emma overpowering her, and while it wasn't too hard for the blonde, she was scared that Tamara had more tricks up her sleeve. Like another taser gun.

"And for the record, Mr Gold is not the only other person who has magic in this town," stated Emma, furious "I DO!"

Then Tamara did the most infuriating thing yet. She laughed.

Regina groaned at the pain in her injured arm, unable to hold it in. She was fast losing her grip on consciousness. Emma was all too aware of that fact.

"I'm going to give you one more chance, Tamara! Release her or you will regret it!" she threatened.

"SHE'S MINE!" screamed Tamara, pushing against the weight on her chest.

The saviour rose to her feet, surprising her opponent. In all honesty, she didn't have a clue what she was planning to do to make her get Regina out of here. An instinct suddenly came to her and she was startled by the violence of it.

As the other woman rose to her feet, glaring daggers at her but with a half-victorious smirk on her arrogant face, Emma plunged her hand through her chest and grabbed her heart, pulling it out. The black heart glowed very faintly in her hand, pulsating with occasional puffs of black smoke.

Silence.

* * *

A/N - There will be one more chapter after this but I'm not sure when I'll get it up. Hopefully tomorrow night sometime but I'm not sure. I have a lot of homework to catch up on. Ugh :/

P.S - I am also taking any requests for fics you may have. So, yeah, just leave any in a review or in a PM XD


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - First of all, I'm sorry for the delay. I had a bit of a block on this chapter. I hope you still like it! Secondly, thanks for all the reviews. They made me really happy :P I hope this is a satisfying end for you all 3

Much love, Rachel xxx

* * *

Tamara gasped as Emma stared at the object in her hand. Transfixed, she applied a slight amount of pressure pressure. She had actually taken a heart. The thing that only a select few were said to be able to do without it tearing them apart inside. Tamara fell to her knees, clutching her chest with the pain.

"EMMA!" screamed Regina.

The saviour realised what she was doing and quickly loosened her grip, still holding the heart in her palm. Confused as to why Regina, of all people, especially considering she'd just suffered electrocution at her hand, would have qualms about her crushing it to dust.

"You're going to kill her, Emma," added the brunette, quieter now and her voice undeniably hoarser.

"She deserves to die, Regina! She tortured you! She kidnapped our son!" retorted Emma, staring down her captive with daggers.

"You won't be able to live with yourself if you do it… Only my mother, Rumplestiltskin and I have souls dark enough that we remain mostly unaffected if we take the final step," said Regina, wearily, as if she'd repeated the same thing over and over again.

Emma took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Get those straps off her, NOW!" she ordered.

"No! I've not finished yet!" growled Tamara.

"I'd be thanking Regina. It's thanks to her that you aren't dead already. That's the sort of person you tortured!"

"She's an evil…"

"Not another word, Tamara. Release her!"

With a hell of a lot of mumbled protesting, Tamara walked over to the machine, both Emma and Regina staring at her warily should she try anything. But the threat of her heart being squeezed was enough to keep her threats and curses verbal only. She entered a passcode on the screen and began to flip a series of dials.

"There. You can undo them now," she snapped.

One hand clutching the heart tightly, Emma fumbled with the leather bands, sighing in relief when they came undone easily enough and without any further electric shocks.

"Can you stand, Regina?" she asked, trying to share her gaze between the two women.

"I think so…" replied Regina.

Gingerly, she pushed herself off the metal frame, grimacing at the pain. Emma saw it and offered her hand to pull her gently to her feet. As soon as she released her, Regina gasped and almost toppled over, unsteady and weak.

"I'm so tired," murmured the mayor.

"Just five more minutes and then I'll take you out of here, ok? Just hold on to that for a minute."

"It hurts, Emma. It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know, 'Gina, I know it does. We'll get you to Doctor Whale soon. You're going to be fine. I promise."

Regina nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, her vision hazy and her legs unable to support her weight. She felt emptiness inside her, where her magic had been forced out, but she didn't mention it. What good would it do?

"Hands behind your back, Tamara. And don't try anything," demanded Emma, sharply.

"You're making a mistake. Trusting her," spat Tamara.

"Get over here now!"  
Her order was obeyed and as soon as her ex's fiancé was secured in handcuffs, she slammed her heart back into her chest with more force than necessary. Tamara gasped before straightening herself and glaring daggers at them both.

"You'll both go to hell!"

Emma was about to slap the other woman in sheer fury when Regina spoke up.

"Maybe I will," she said "But you'll go there first, _Miss Tamara_."

"Are you _threatening_ me?"

"Of course not, dear. Merely educating you. Because the next time you try to torture the magic out of someone, they will overpower you and they will kill you. Not everyone will just give themselves up."

"And you won't kill me?"

"No, no I won't. I'm changing. I'm trying my best to become a better person for my son," said Regina, deadly calm "But rest assured, the next time you touch my son or anyone else in _my_ town, I _will_ kill you. Understand?"

"How do you plan on doing that without your magic, Miss Mills?"

"The old fashioned way. Don't doubt me, Tamara. I don't need magic to accomplish things. Unlike you, it would seem."

The two were locked in a fierce battle, neither about to break the eye contact first. Regina, despite her faintness and her fatigue, managed to hold the unblinking gaze, burning like an inferno just waiting for fuel.

"Wait! You actually took her magic!" stated Emma, appalled.

"My methods are full proof," retorted Tamara, smirking.

"Give her it back, Tamara, or so help me!" threatened the blonde.

"No, Miss Swan, I don't want it back," interjected Regina.

"WHAT?" echoed both captor and rescuer.

"I said, I don't want my magic returned," replied the brunette, simply.

"But Owen said you were willing to do anything for your power…" said Tamara "He said power and your son. The two things that affected you most."

"I'm afraid to disappoint you, dear, but your _boyfriend_ misinformed you," countered Regina, with a sickly smile "I don't want magic in my life. I don't need it in my life."

"Are you sure, 'Gina?" questioned Emma, doubtful.

"Yes, Miss Swan. Quite sure. Magic is not worth the price it demands," finished the mayor "And please, never call me 'Gina."

"Right, fine, well… I suppose I better call David to escort the two prisoners to a jail cell until we think of what to do with them," decided Emma.

The sheriff whipped out another pair of cuffs and slapped them on Owen before dialling her father. He could deal with them for now.

* * *

Emma supported Regina as they walked outside. The brunette was trying to hide the fact that she was too weak to stand on her own although the blonde thought it was pointless. By now, half the town would know what had happened.

"Are you hungry?" asked Emma.

"A little," responded Regina, although she was ravenous.

"Me too. Come on, we'll go to Granny's."

"Emma, no… I want to just… go home…"

"No-one blames you, Regina. You're a hero. For saving Henry. It'll be ok."

"Just take me home, Emma…"

"You have to face them sometime. Come on, I'll even be right by your side."

"How reassuring."

"I'm offended, Regina, truly offended.

"Good."

"If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't have handled that bitch the way you did."

"I merely put her in her place, Miss Swan, nothing particularly special."

"Well, I'm glad you never used that tone on me. It would have scared the shit out of me."

"Must you be so crude? I do not want Henry to grow up listening to such foul language."

"As the queen commands."

"I can still use the same tone if you keep irritating me!"

"I'm glad you gave up magic, Regina. Henry will be so much happier knowing it."

"As much as I love my son, Emma, I didn't do it for him."

"Oh, then who did you do it for?"

"Myself. I've been controlled all my life. This is the only thing I've ever done that's good_, for myself_."

"Even better. Maybe you can be happy, too. You deserve to be."

"Happiness doesn't exist for people like me, Miss Swan. This isn't a fairytale."

"You'll find true love, Regina."

"I had true love already. It cannot be replaced."

Emma could see that Regina had opened herself up enough and was only going to retreat further inside her shell if she kept trying to push her, so she let it be and gave her a warm smile instead.

"Let's go then. I need a burger and double fries."

Regina rolled her eyes but half-limped after the woman, thankful for the crutch, in more than just the physical sense.

* * *

Regina leaned against the seat as she sipped her banana milkshake. Normally, she would not have even given thought to having such a thing, but Emma had persuaded her with puppy dog eyes to at least try it. And well, it was rather nice.

"I told you you'd like it," smirked Emma as she sipped her own chocolate one.

"It's… not too bad. Unlike that chocolate monstrosity you have," countered Regina.

"You're just jealous."

"Of your ridiculously unhealthy choices? Hardly."

"Hey, milk is healthy."

"Not with all that added sugar."

"And you learnt all about additives in twenty eight years? Just something you found interesting, I suppose?"

"Boredom does strange things to people. I just chose to channel it into something productive."

"Well, you should have at least ordered a burger."

"One milkshake and a salad is quite enough, Miss Swan."

"If you insist, Madame Mayor. But you are missing out."

The food came and Regina abandoned her grace as the smell brought on horrible hunger pangs. She devoured her salad and instantly wished she had ordered something more substantial.

"Here, have my fries," offered Emma, her smile distorted with her crammed full mouth.

"Thanks," said Regina, not even bothering about the amount of calories they contained.

This time, she forced herself to eat slower. God, these were nice. Maybe she should indulge more often.

"How are you feeling?" asked Emma, wiping her mouth with the napkin.

"Better," replied Regina "Thank you. For… coming to my aid. I'm grateful."

"No, thank you. I dread to think what those monsters would have done to Henry if you hadn't saved him."

"It's a mother's responsibility to protect her child, Miss Swan. You did not have to protect me. So thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Regina. It was the decent thing to do."

Regina nodded, absentmindedly. She tried to focus her mind away from the pounding headache in favour of coming up with a plan of action.

"They can't stay in Storybrooke; Owen and Tamara… They have to leave," she said, finally.

"Regina, they tortured you and tried to kill you. We can't just let them walk free," responded Emma, surprised.

"I know… But… well… you have magic, don't you?"

"I guess…"

"We can send them across the line. Then you can construct another barrier, like the one the curse created. No-one else can get in and their memories will be wiped. It's not ideal but…"

"Regina, it's a good plan but… I'm not sure I can do it."

"You took a heart, Emma, advanced magic. You are more than capable of a simple barrier spell."

"I don't know…"

"Once I am feeling stronger, we'll go to the line, send them over and you can channel your magic to me. I'll construct it with your power."

"Ok… But only when you are well enough. You've been through a lot and they can wait until you reach full health again. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Good. Now, if we're all finished here, I can walk you home and make sure you are alright and have everything you…"

"Emma, I hate to ask but…" trailed off Regina, suddenly embarrassed.

"But what?" asked Emma, kindly.

"Well… nothing. It doesn't matter…"

"What is it, Regina? You can ask me, you know."

"It's just… I was wondering if maybe you and Henry could stay… For a few nights… Just until…"

"Course we will, 'Gina. I'll get David or Mary Margaret to bring him round later."

"Thank you. For everything," nodded Regina, glad that she wouldn't be alone. She didn't think she could face the silent darkness.

"No problem. I am supposed to be a saviour after all."

* * *

A/N - So, there it is. Concluded. I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :) Thanks once more for all the support you gave me and also, if you could leave one last review telling me your opinion on it, I would be eternally grateful.

I am also taking requests although I can't promise when they will be fulfilled!

Much love, Rachel xxx


	5. Epilogue

A/N - Here is a short epilogue, suggested by The Evil Queen's Pet :) That episode was so heart-breaking. I cried. Lots. :( Lana is so talented and it felt so real :(

Anyway please leave a review, if you can. I hope this ties up the loose ends 3

* * *

Regina forced herself to open her eyes, wincing at the harsh light. She attempted to move and groaned, memories flooding back to her. Terrified that she would find herself strapped down again, she threw herself up. Pain radiated from her shoulder but she knew that it wasn't broken, just twisted. As she pushed her legs out of the bed and stood up, she brought a hand to her forehead which she could feel was burning with a fever.

The large mirror on the wall seemed to mock her with her own appearance. Not that she could recognise herself very well. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face deathly pale, dark shadows under her eyes. She looked weak. She felt weak. Moving her hair away from her forehead, she felt a tear roll down her cheek as she saw the two red marks that would forever be engraved on her skin to remind her of the torture.

"Mom?" asked a timid voice.

Regina jumped, senses heightened by her ordeal before she recognised the voice.

"Henry?" she turned around slowly with overwhelming relief that he was safe and here with her.

"Thank you for saving me," he said, rather awkwardly but with all the emotion in the world.

"I will always save you, Henry. You mean so much to me."

"I'm sorry for everything. For leaving you and being so mean to you…"

"Don't apologise, Henry, never. It was my fault. I wasn't a good person then. But I promise I'm changing. For you. For everyone."

"I'm glad, mom. We can be a proper family now."

She knew she was crying now but she didn't care. As her son came and launched himself into her arms, she clung on tightly, as her tears slipped into his mussed hair. She felt safe with him there. And she could keep him safe.

"I love you, mom, always," he said, bringing his head up to smile at her, a true smile.

"Always," she replied, kissing him gently on the forehead "Nothing will change that."

"Don't cry, mom. You're safe now. We're all safe."

"Safe…" she mumbled, nodding against his small body "Safe."


End file.
